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Breaking Down The Istanbul Elite Eight

Get ready - the groups are set for the TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships - Istanbul 2012.

Published October 21, 2012 12:00

The elite eight of Istanbul...

ISTANBUL, Turkey - The eight competitors at the TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships - Istanbul 2012 were divided up into their two round robin groups at the official draw ceremony on Sunday, with play set to begin at the $4.9-million year-end finale on Tuesday. Here's how everyone stacks up...

(3) Serena Williams (USA)~ '12 Titles: 6 - Charleston, Madrid, Wimbledon, Stanford, Olympics, US Open~ Best Grand Slam result in 2012: Won Wimbledon & US Open~ Fall record: 0-0~ H2H vs group: 10-1 vs Azarenka, 1-1 vs Kerber, 5-1 vs Li~ Quote: "I don't really care who I play or when I play, as long as I can play. I'm really happy to be here. I'm on the red side with Victoria, so it'll be good."

(5) Angelique Kerber (GER)~ '12 Titles: 2 - Paris [Indoors], Copenhagen~ Best Grand Slam result in 2012: SFs at Wimbledon~ Fall record: 4-2~ H2H vs group: 0-2 vs Azarenka, 1-1 vs Williams, 1-5 vs Li~ Quote: "It doesn't matter which group you're in, it's not easy - we're the best eight players, and every match will be hard. But it's an honor for me to be here. I'll enjoy every match. It's a bonus after such a great year. When I started this year I wasn't thinking about No.5 or being here, so this is a great highlight."

(2) Maria Sharapova (RUS)~ '12 Titles: 3 - Stuttgart, Rome, French Open~ Best Grand Slam result in 2012: Won French Open~ Fall record: 7-2~ H2H vs group: 7-2 vs Radwanska, 4-2 vs Kvitova, 1-0 vs Errani~ Quote: "When you're coming here you pretty much know what you're going to get in terms of the level of the group. With the field we have, I think every match, no matter what group you're in, will be pretty tough from the get go."

(6) Petra Kvitova (CZE)~ '12 Titles: 2 - Montréal, New Haven~ Best Grand Slam result in 2012: SFs at Australian Open & French Open~ Fall record: 1-2~ H2H vs group: 2-4 vs Sharapova, 3-0 vs Radwanska, 3-0 vs Errani~ Quote: "You can't choose who can be in your group. All eight players are great players who have had a great season. I'll try my best. I remember the great support I got last year. I'm looking forward to being on the court again."

(7) Sara Errani (ITA)~ '12 Titles: 4 - Acapulco, Barcelona, Budapest, Palermo~ Best Grand Slam result in 2012: R-Up at French Open~ Fall record: 2-2~ H2H vs group: 0-1 vs Sharapova, 1-5 vs Radwanska, 0-3 vs Kvitova~ Quote: "Of course it's a tough group - both groups are tough, and the players are strong. We will see how it goes. I'll just try to play my best game, singles and doubles - it's amazing for me to be here."